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Okay, I gotta ask this but what does it matter if Ukraine spawns or not? Isn't it actually better if they do spawn, so Poland can take advantage of their likely tribal government with the Tribal Conquest CB? Heck, you should actually butter them up! Help them build up, then backstab them later on and take Ukrainian lands for cheap infamy!

Okay, I gotta ask this but what does it matter if Ukraine spawns or not? Isn't it actually better if they do spawn, so Poland can take advantage of their likely tribal government with the Tribal Conquest CB? Heck, you should actually butter them up! Help them build up, then backstab them later on and take Ukrainian lands for cheap infamy!

Ukraine spawns when Lithuania is torn apart. Andat the beginning of the game Poland is in PU with Lithuania. So if you allow Ukraine to spawn, you loose land that you would be able to gain peacefully by just annexing Lithuania.

In my game Lithuania broke into three countries - Lithuania "proper", Polotsk and Ukraine. I annexed Lithuania (two wars) and half of Polotsk (other half went to Ukraine and Polotsk have only one province left). Now only Poland and Ukraine matters there. Ukraine is too big (9 provinces) to be taken in one war (I have high infamy), so I'll have to spend some time and at least two wars to conquer them.

So it's much harder and time consuming than holding Lithuania in PU and annexing them peacefully. At least harder for a new player.

@Aquila: Oooh, Ukraine's a splinter of Lithuania? You know, for some reason, I've never actually noticed that. Alright, now I understand where Iwanow was coming from. I should really play a nation in that part of the world. >.>.

While I haven't expanded much geographically, the USB(lol) is on the cusp of a golden age! but we are not without threats and one of the last major acts of the old imperial administration was to modernize our education system to be competitive with Western Europe. As you can tell we have a resurgent Austria on our hands, and while the Habsburgs in Vienna try to lull us back to sleep with false promises that they were just reclaiming lost territory, we know better than to trust a German... Also notice France; who holds Italian territory rightfully ours, and Spain; who recently formed from Castillia(1495) also holds old territory claimed by Justinian the first. Hungary, while not the threat it used to be nevertheless still holds lands rightfully ours in eastern Croatia. Also on the northern beaches of the Black Sea bestrides Poland. Future targets for rightful(and easy) expansion are: Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Aquila, Milan, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Switzerland. Tuscany and Siena aren't on the list because they help my tech advancement.

I am the Emeror of the Intergalactic Roman Empire! Bow before my might!
Current Game: Basiliea Rhomaion

And now I've basically (when I get that damn inovation down and decrease my war exhaustion) declared myself Caesar of half the world. Two PUs with both Hungary and Russia - having to fight Wuttermburg to claim the Russian throne.

AVE CAESAR THEODOROS.

"If Humanity does not end war, War shall end humanity."
__________________________________________________ _

I do think Death & Taxes makes the Byzatines even more over powered than they already were. Not only do you get cores on all of Anatolia, after conquering bits of Italy, which your missions will guide you to do, you also get cores on all the land between Greece and Italy, plus an easy way to move your capital. I mean, sure, you still have to westernize, but expanding in Europe was the one thing where playing the Byzantines should be more difficult than playing the Ottomans. Now you just get to expand freely into Europe and cheaply into the Middle East/Asia.

Nicely done. You made quite a decent progress although you have no shortage of enemies... May I, kindly suggest you to

PAINT EUROPE PURPLE

My goal in-game is only to recreate the Justinian I Empire, but I am considering vassalizing Western Europe along regional lines(ie, Gallia, Swabia(incidentally I planning on using Ulm for Swabia)). At the very least I'm planning to deconstruct the HRE.

Also Byzan, good job although conquering all of that territory in the Balkans hurts mine eyes!

I am the Emeror of the Intergalactic Roman Empire! Bow before my might!
Current Game: Basiliea Rhomaion

This is in Trade Mapmode. Everything that is striped is in my trade league... except for 6 provinces that are in Novgorod's, but their time will come. Most I acquired via the seduction of gold and mutual benefit, but if that doesn't work, steel and gunpowder can be just as persuasive. I forced France into my league after a war, and they've never left despite having their own CoT and decades of dismal relations. Same with Sweden. Why? Fear, of course! None may break the iron chains of Venice without my Wrath falling upon them! Bwahaha... ahem.

My goal is to control the entire world's flow in trade. I own 11 of the world's 24 CoTs, including the top 6 most valuable, and have monopolies in all of them using full mercantilism. Binding large countries into my league is the key to my monopolies. A few are still outside my control - principally Castille, Novgorod, and Ming. There are also two CoTS owned by Hordes that I can't do anything about until they're colonized. I am Trade Leader and have majority market share in every good other than tea, chinaware and fur. I should get fur as soon as I conquer Novgorod, the last merchant republic. Tea and Chinaware will require me to take on Ming, which will be fun. I have the Bosphorous Sound Toll, East India Trade Route and India Trade Company, but I'm still one province away from getting the Sound Toll. So yeah, still got some work ahead of me.